they might, the pendulum should wag, and have a fair chance of doing
its best.

[Illustration: "I SAT AND WATCHED IT WITH GROWING AWE."]

I went up to my room, a sense of high emprise filling my little heart.
Composedly, yea solemnly, I set to work, even as some enchanter of old
might have drawn his circle, and chosen his spell out of his
iron-clasped volume. I strode to the closet in which the awful
instrument dwelt. It stood in the furthest corner. As I lifted it,
something like a groan invaded my ear. My notions of locality were not
then sufficiently developed to let me know that grannie's room was on
the other side of that closet. I almost let the creature, for as such I
regarded it, drop. I was not to be deterred, however. I bore it
carefully to the light, and set it gently on the window sill, full in
view of the distant trees towards the west. I left it then for a
moment, as if that it might gather its strength for its unwonted
labours, while I closed the door, and, with what fancy I can scarcely
imagine now, the curtains of my bed as well. Possibly it was with some
notion of having one place to which, if the worst came to the worst, I
might retreat for safety. Again I approached the window, and after
standing for some time in contemplation of the pendulum, I set it in
motion, and stood watching it.

It swung slower and slower. It wanted to stop. It should not stop. I
gave it another swing. On it went, at first somewhat distractedly, next
more regularly, then with slowly retarding movement. But it should not
stop.

I turned in haste and got from the side of my bed the only chair in the